Unholy Alliance
Surrounded by clone zombies with no hope of rescue, two mortal enemies must join forces to combat the Clone Zombies ravaging New Manhattan. Operation: Unholy Alliance is the 4th ErrorLandian co-op mission and the first that takes place on Delteros. Hopelessly outnumbered, the ErrorLandians are forced to team up with WolvesLandian forces to combat the clone zombies and rescue New Manhattan. Mission Briefing Colonel Percy: Now that all of you are situated on Delteros, there’s work to be done. First, I want both of you to take back New Manhattan from the clone zombies. Next, I want you to... Officer Felix: Colonel, may I butt in for a few seconds? Colonel Percy: What’s the problem? Officer Felix: We’ve intercepted an anonymous distress signal as well as a radio broadcast on the planet. I’ll play it back for you and the commanders. Colonel Percy: Proceed... Operator: This is Captain Gideon Melkumov of *static*! We’re pinned down at New Ma-*static* and requesting backup! Someone! Anyone! Please, respond! Colonel Percy: On second thought, I would like you, commanders, to investigate this distress signal and help out where you can. You’re going to need all the help you can get for this mission. Pinpointing the Call “Commander, the signal is getting stronger in this direction. I think it’s on repeat, but I’m not sure...” Music: Starcraft - Protoss Theme 3 Two of the commanders’ forces arrive on the scene with their MCVs, a Marauder Tank, some basic infantry, and a uniquely colored Gunner IFV that is intercepting the signal. The commanders have to accompany the IFV as it investigates the signal. It will move at a slower pace than normal so that the Marauder Tanks and basic infantry can keep up. Occasionally, clone zombies will attack the IFV and it will be up to the ErrorLandians to protect it as best as they can. Setting Up “Well? What’s the situation with the signal?” “Colonel, I don’t think you’re gonna like this.” “Why? Who did you talk to?” “It was a WolvesLandian, sir! They hate us, don’t they?” “Tell them that we trust them, but be ready to open fire if they don’t do exactly what you say.” The driver tells a rather unusual story that the radio operator he was talking to was a part of a WolvesLandian scouting team that lost contact to their squad around a day ago. Colonel Percy advises him to be ready to open fire unless they do “exactly what he says”. The MCVs set up near a large ore field while the IFV and Marauder Tank keep moving to chase down the signal. Surprising Rescue “This is the ErrorLandian 2nd assault division. We are inbound with heavy armor reinforcements. Hold your ground!” Once the IFV reaches the outpost, it clears the barricade of clone zombies. The Marauder Tank trailing behind clears the front of the outpost with its flamethrower. They were saved but at first not grateful, demanding to know if they were friendly and to identify their allegiance. Truthfully, they said: “We’re with the ErrorLandians, sir. They’ve sent us to help you out.”, but received a bitter response: “ErrorLandians?! Do you people even know who we are and why we’re here?! I demand to talk with your superior!”. The Marauder Tank driver decided not to hold anything back with the next message. “We’re not giving this planet back to you and that’s final! Some years ago, we wiped the floor with you guys on this very planet and hardly broke a sweat! We WON’T hesitate to do it again, and that‘s why you’re gonna do exactly what we say unless you like the taste of lead! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!” “Look, what we’re saying is, do you value your lives or not? It took us a great deal of confidence just to come to your rescue and this is how you treat us? We won’t stand for this, sir, and your republic won’t save you now, but we want to give you a chance that your ‘comrades’ won’t. Now, are you with us or what?!” “... I suppose I don’t have a choice. We’ll let the past be the past for now, but I want you to prove that you are indeed a capable ally and not just some gun-toting good-for-nothing space rebels; we need ''real allies if we want to fight a galaxy-level threat. If you succeed, we might just be willing to host a proper peace treaty.”'' After that revealing and explosive conversation, the WolvesLandians decide to join with the ErrorLandians on one condition: to help them regroup with the rest of their forces and protect their outpost. Wanting to get on their good side, they complied, despite the fact that Gideon wasn’t exactly the nicest general in the WolvesLandian ranks. Compliance “Well, at least they’re not shooting at us. Send us some backup, we need to get these guys to a rally point that’s 3 klicks to the south of here.” - Gunner IFV driver A third player in control of the WolvesLandians can see the main outpost on his map, but can’t control it yet. Gideon is controllable, but he is only armed with a pistol for self-defense and would be better off in an APC that is located near their outpost. The ErrorLandians, on the other hand, had to make sure that Gideon didn't die on his way there. It would be wise keep Gideon waiting, even if he complains about doing nothing. Wait for allies to clear the Clone Zombies off of the road before proceeding to escort the general. It is a general rule of thumb since a pistol couldn’t possibly be enough to live off of, and, as much as the players would rather kill him, the WolvesLandians would lose a great general if they did and spark a war they didn’t want. A Truce “Hey, captain, you’ve made it back! That’s... not what we anticipated, but who are these foolish ErrorLandians? Identify yourselves at this moment or we’ll open fire!” “Relax, these are our friends now. They helped me get here.” “Well, if you say so, sir. We’ll let them in, but only under your supervision.” As hard as it was to let the ErrorLandian forces enter the outpost, these were desperate times that called for equally-desperate measures. The WolvesLandians who were also weakened from a thousand years of fighting would rather have allies than enemies. They contacted the commanders and asked if they needed anything in return, to which they said... “We’re in the middle of an operation ourselves. We’re supposed to take New Manhattan but there’s too many of those zombies for either of us to handle alone. Perhaps we can handle one side of the city while you handle the other?” Cooperative Assault Up to the challenge, the WolvesLandians decide to help liberate New Manhattan. With a morale boost on both sides, they were willing and able to help eachother out. While WolvesLandians clear out the north, the ErrorLandians assault the south. They were determined to further show that they were indeed capable allies. They kept pushing until they met up in the middle of the city, where both sides put down their weapons and emptied their vehicles to welcome each-other and some of the soldiers even played in an empty court where they kicked around a helmet like a soccer ball. Aftermath At the end of the day, both sides are at peace, at least in New Manhattan. The two warring powers setting aside their differences and even having fun together appeared as the headline of newspapers around the Milky Way, with a picture of a group of ErrorLandian Warriors and WL soldiers taking a group photo on their phones. As hard as it was to believe, it was a sign that even the biggest rivals can set aside their differences.